Can I write a legal document such as a will on my own?

It can be unwise to do it entirely on your own. Local laws can require how things like wills need to be done to be valid.

If you do try to do something on your own, a court commonly will try to find some way to have a valid will, as long as it's clear that's what you intended. But especially if you have any valuable property, or anything significant, you should get proper help from an attorney. If you're low income, you may be able to find pro bono assistance for a will, or perhaps your local Legal Aid office can do such a thing.

Yes, you are free to write such documents yourself. In the case of wills, you will usually need two witnesses to sign as well.

However, when there is a conflict over the terms of a will, you won't be around to explain what your intent was. That's why especially for wills I recommend speaking to an attorney. You can save yourself some money by drafting the document yourself and then having it just be edited by the attorney. For other documents, unless there is a lot of money on the line, you can probably go without a lawyer if you do your research.

Don't do it on your own. If it's contested it will not hold up in court. If you want it to be legal, hire a lawyer to do it.

You can find "make your own will" forms on line. Free.

well, you got 2 problems.
usually executors [ family members ] don't get paid .

you will have to pay a lawyer or a bank to be your executor and it's not a five dollar fee either.

Call LegalZoom.